Dance With Me
by Tsubasa Hane
Summary: Three little words. One unforgettable moment. Rewrite of the rooftop scene from SISTERS.


While _X-men: Evolution_ is usually more my forte in terms of writing, I like to occasionally drift off into other fandoms. Teen Titans is one of them. After watching _Sisters_ (third best episode, next to _HLIF_ and _Date With Destiny_), this is one plotbunny I was more than happy to appease.

The lyrics used are from "This is the Night" by American Idol's Clay Atkins. I was listening to it while typing the fic, and thought it would be perfect for setting the mood. It did

* * *

**Dance With Me**

**

* * *

**

"Perhaps I do not belong here after all."

"Of course not. You belong down there, having fun with the rest of us." Starfire lifted her head at the voice as it rang out in the otherwise still darkness. Much to her surprise (and more than a little delight), she saw Robin standing at the entrance of the rooftop stairway. He had a warm smile on his lips that always seemed to appear when speaking to her, though this time his eyes gave away a hint of concern. "What's wrong?" He asked, shutting the door behind him and walking over.

Not wanting to bother him with her petty problems, Starfire gave him her best smile. "Nothing is wrong. Everything is wonderful. The pounding music and blinding lights are quite enjoyable…." She soon trailed off, however, when the look Robin was giving her clearly showed that he wasn't buying it. Somehow, he always knew when something was bothering her, no matter what it was. Heaving a sigh, her shoulders slumped as she turned her eyes to the ground. "Everything is not wonderful. It is not that I am not happy to see my sister…but she 'rules' at the video games, and knows all the 'cool moves,' and can share very depressing poetry, and always knows when people are not talking about shovels!" Robin raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing. "…and I am not her." She finished sadly.

"No. You're not." He commented quietly after a moment, leaning against the structure she sat on.

Starfire visibly flinched at his words, no matter how calm she tried to remain. Without realizing it, she pulled herself tighter into a ball; her legs dangled helplessly off the edge of her seat, while her arms were probably the only thing supporting the rest of her weight. Pressed against her sides, they began to tremble slightly. She knew Robin meant well-Robin always meant well-but hearing him confirm it only stung even more.

Her hair fell forward as she kept her head faced downward, allowing it to block her face from view so that he couldn't see the tears beginning to form. "She was right, you know; Blackfire is the better fighter…and she appears to fit in so much better with your Earth customs than I ever could. If you wish to replace me, Robin, for the good of the team…I will understand."

"Replace you? Where'd you get that idea?" His voice sounded genuinely surprised. "Look, Star, your sister is…interesting. But she could never take your place." Gently, he reached out with one gloved hand to brush back her auburn locks, pushing them behind her shoulder. Without them in the way, she tilted her head to look at him, unable to suppress a faint smile at the gesture. "No one could ever take your place."

The last part was spoken with more tenderness and sincerity than Starfire had ever heard from him before; looking up at the boy who had quickly become her closest friend and confidant, she felt a surge of warmth rush through her veins suddenly mixed with a sense of comfort Robin always seemed to give her. His hand was still resting comfortably on her shoulder, and the two remained like that for several more moments before they were unexpectedly interrupted by a burst of loud music. Blackfire had flown up and opened the roof skylight, hovering over the opening as she held the glass up with one hand.

"How do I look?" She asked, sporting a long, brightly-colored wig. Behind her, the sounds of a quick-tempo dance mix filled the air.

There was a brief pause as they stared incredulously at the girl before Robin finally answered, "…pink," referring to the color. He sounded slightly irritated at the intrusion. "Look, can you give us a minute here?"

The Tamaranian girl was faintly surprised at his tone of voice, but upon getting a better look at her surroundings, a knowing grin appeared on her face. "Ooh…tender moment." She commented, glancing back and forth from her sister's slightly pink cheeks to Robin's obvious look of frustration. Then, of course, there was also the fact that his hand still rested protectively on her shoulder. "Sorry to interrupt."

It was at that particular moment the song playing beneath the trio ended and another one began. Blackfire took that as her cue to exit. "Oh, I love this song!" She turned to fly back down into the warehouse, but not before once last look back. "Save me a dance, Robin, 'kay? Oh…and sis? We'll talk later."

Not bothering to wait for their responses, she dove back inside, allowing the skylight pane to drop back down behind her. But it didn't fully close, and the two remaining teens could still hear the music that drifted out through the small opening. It was a much slower-paced song than what else had been playing that evening, fairly new, and Robin was just barely able to recognize the tune.

_

* * *

When the world wasn't upside down, I could take all the time I had  
But I'm not going to wait when a moment can vanish so fast…_

* * *

"How pretty." Starfire absently commented, having listened to the opening lines. "I have never heard music like this before, Robin." Considering Beast Boy's constant monopoly over the Titan Tower's stereo system-not to mention his tastes aiming towards much louder genres-this was very possible.

As she continued to admire the melody, Robin stood up straight and turned to face the girl. He extended a gentlemanly hand, his gentle smile returning. "Would you like to dance, Star?" She stared at it for a moment before lifting her eyes to meet his, slightly embarrassed.

"I am afraid…I do not know how." She admitted with a hint of pink on her cheeks. Robin's smile only grew wider.

"It's not that hard. Come on, I'll show you." He took her hand in his, helping the young girl down from the concrete block, and wordlessly led her over towards the skylight, where the ground was smoothest and easier to stand on. Starfire was slightly nervous, not quite sure what to expect, but she trusted Robin completely and so allowed him to guide her: "First, we stand facing one another, like this. This hand…" He reached for her left hand and placed it on his shoulder. "…goes here. And this one…" He then took her other hand in his, holding it at about shoulder-length. "…goes here. Then, we just kind of sway to the music…."

His voice drifted off into the night sky as they began shifting their weight from one foot to the other, lightly rocking back and forth in perfect synch.

_

* * *

When the answer to all my dreams is as close as a touch away  
Why am I here, holding back what I'm trying to say?_

* * *

Starfire caught on surprisingly fast. Despite her initial hesitation towards such a seemingly ridiculous idea, she soon found herself enthralled by the smoother, rhythmic motion and the feeling of Robin's arm wrapped securely around her tiny waist. She stared down at her feet to begin with, worried she might make a mistake, but soon raised her eyes up to look at Robin. The grin on his face was contagious, and it wasn't long before Star was wearing one of her own, all previous worries long forgotten.

_

* * *

Lift me up in your eyes  
If you told me that this is what Heaven is, well, you'd be right  
I've been waiting forever for this  
This is the night

* * *

_

**o*0*o**

To say that Raven was bored would be an understatement.

She was well past bored by then, to the point where it border-lined annoyance. Leaned up against a wall of wooden crate boxes, arms folded and hood rim pulled over her eyes, even meditation was next to impossible because of the volume at which the music was being played. As if the ear-splitting chores weren't loud enough at a normal volume—it reminded her of Beast Boy's selections back at the Tower.

Speaking of the animal morph, Raven was able to catch a glimpse of both him and Cyborg from where she stood. The two of them were out in the middle of the dance floor, having the time of their lives…well, either that or having identical seizures and liking it. She hadn't seen a trace of Starfire since they arrived (and Raven had ditched her to go talk to a fellow Goth. Unfortunately, he had turned out to be a rather clumsy flirter; she'd lost all interest not long after he mentioned the words "show tunes"). A quick scan of the room showed that Robin was nowhere to be found, either.

Somehow, that didn't surprise her.

The current song ended abruptly, and a new one took its place. Much to Raven's disappointment, it was not a dark, haunting tune like she had been hoping for—although it was slower and had a smoother rhythm to it.

Couples were already pairing up, some obviously already dating, some probably meeting for the first time. Raven made an attempt to scoff quietly at such meaningless displays of emotion, but it came out more like a sigh.

As she stared, watching the display before her, Raven fell so deep into her musings that she only half-registered a sudden tickle at her feet. She glanced down and saw Beast Boy in his cat form—not the "cute kitten" face he usually gave Star when trying to get out of trouble, but a more fully-grown, "mischievous" cat shape—nuzzling against her ankles, purring softly to get her attention. Uncrossing her arms, she allowed him to jump into them and absently began stroking his fur. Beast Boy was probably the closest thing Raven had to a friend amidst the Titans, and was fairly tolerable to be around whenever he held back on the lame jokes or prank attempts.

But while the emerald-colored feline snuggled deeper into her embrace, content, Raven was suddenly hit with a series of shivers that traveled up and down her spine. Her initial thought was that the ball of fluff in her arms had been the cause. A moment's pause, however, allowed her to distinguish it as a result of her empathic powers…and coming from directly above.

Beast Boy soon realized he was no longer the undivided center of the girl's attention when the gentle petting abruptly ceased. He peered up with curious, feline eyes, only to see her looking up as well. She seemed fixated on a point on the ceiling, so he hopped out of the comfort of her arms and morphed back to his regular form, facing her.

"Yo, what's up, Raven?" He joked, expecting some reaction out of her…a roll of the eyes, at the very least. When none came, he followed her line of sight to find out what was so interesting. His answer came when he saw a pair of silhouetted figures against the skylight window, dancing away to the music as if they hadn't a care in the world. Recognizing them almost immediately, Beast Boy gave a lopsided grin. "Go Robin!" He commented to no one in particular.

"The emotions those two have been projecting lately had been grower stronger and stronger; it's a wonder they, themselves, haven't been able to sense it." Raven stated, her way of agreeing. "I must admit, it's nice to see them finally so something about it."

Beast Boy nodded wordlessly before turning back around. His smile was genuine enough, but he had a certain glint in his eye. "Wanna try?" He asked. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Dancing, I mean. You can't just spend the whole time sulking in the shadows, you know. This is a party; you're supposed to have fun!"

Raven opened her mouth to argue, but something stopped her at the last second. Instead, she gave an indifferent shrug. "Okay."

The smile on his face grew so wide, she had to repress the urge to return it. He extended a hand for her to take, which she did, and began leading the girl over to the dance floor. But after only a few steps, he paused.

"What's wrong?" She asked, her voice as calm as ever.

Before Raven could react, Beast Boy reached up and pushed back her hood, revealing a wide-eyed expression. Her shoulder-length hair spilled out, framing her pale, round face. Placing the material down on her shoulders, he pulled away with a grin. "Much better." He stated, as if it were a sufficient explanation.

For a moment, Raven stared at him unmoving, unblinking, and unreadable. A tinge of pink appeared on her cheeks from embarrassment, and her expression softened. This time, she did return the smile. It was small, but it was there: a genuine look of happiness, something thought to be lost on the lavender-haired Goth. Without another word between them, the two rejoined hands and headed out into the crowd, quickly becoming lost in the sea of couples.

_

* * *

This is the night where we capture forever  
All our tomorrows begin  
After tonight we will never be lonely again…_

_Lift me up in your eyes  
If you told me that is what heaven is, well, you'd be right_

* * *

**o*0*o**

Robin and Starfire broke eye contact only once, for a short moment. Attempting to catch her off-guard, he raised an arm to spin her around. She stumbled slightly, but caught on almost immediately, giggling openly in delight as she briefly let go of his hand to twirl aimlessly. This time, when her arms came down, she wrapped both of them around his neck as he comfortably placed his behind her waist. It was as they were suddenly dancing to the tune of their own beat, swaying much slower than the given tempo.

After a moment, Starfire spoke up. "Now I understand why you are often referred to as 'Boy Wonder' in Gotham City."

"Oh?" Robin smiled. "Why is that?"

"Because you can do anything. Even make me feel better when I am upset or not happy about something. You truly are a wonder, Robin." As she said this, Starfire leaned her head in against his shoulder, closing her eyes.

_

* * *

Hold me close to your heart  
I would go with you to the ends of the earth hand we'll fly_

* * *

Any outside observer would have noticed a thin aura of light green surround them just then, and if Star's eyes were still open, they would have been glowing brilliantly. Her powers activated subconsciously as they drew from her sudden heightened emotions, lifting both her and Robin's feet off the ground at a gradual pace until they hovered more than two feet above the ground.

Neither one noticed, however, because the sensation of walking on air was nothing different than how they'd been feeling seconds before.

_

* * *

I've been waiting forever for this  
This is the night_

* * *

Blackfire wandered aimlessly around the edges of the warehouse, using her powers to float inches off the floor. Her arms were folded in slight annoyance as she not-so-patiently waited for a faster song to kick up again. Raven and Beast Boy were…"occupied" at the moment, while her sister and Robin were probably still up on the roof—

She grinned suddenly as a thought hit her, and quickly flew over to where she had last seen the robot guy, Cyborg. Sure enough, he was hanging out at one of the few tables around, fascinating a group of teenage girls (and even a few boys) with stories of his heroic adventures with the Titans. He waved the girl over with one hand as soon as he saw her.

"Hey there, little lady. What's up?" He asked in between anecdotes.

Feigning a look of innocence, she got straight to the point. "I was just wondering…are Starfire an Robin…"

"A couple?" He finished her sentence for her before chuckling. "They might as well be; I don't think Star's willingly left his side for more than half a day from the moment she got here. Not that he's complaining about it, mind you."

Within moments, his attention was back to the group around him as he started up a new tale. Speaking of his fellow teammates, it reminded him of the time when they were almost defeated and Robin had gone missing at the time. Cyborg remembered every last detail, from how his arm had been taken as a trophy, to everyone's reaction to their fearless leader's disappearance. Including Starfire's.

Only half-listening to the story by then, Blackfire's smirk grew even wider as her earlier suspicions were confirmed: it seemed a girl-to-girl talk with her dear, little sister was definitely in order.


End file.
